Friday 21 June 2013

Music Matters Live 2013: Made-in-Singapore Talents Are Alive & Well-Spiced!

So who says Singapore talent is dead? If the 2 whole nights I spent watching our very own Singapore talents play in Music Matters Live 2013 are anything to go by, then the music scene is about to be in for a real treat!

22 and 23 May 2013 saw me wandering around in Clarke Quay trying to see as many Singapore bands and singers as I possibly could, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. I managed to see Sarah Cheng-De Winne, Deon, The Summer State, Electrico, Natalie Hiong, Kevin Lester and The Sam Willows. All in all, a rather diverse range of musical offerings, representative of a music scene that has yet to fully define itself and is still in the process of discovering its own identity.

Sarah Cheng-De Winne
(Pic by Lionel Boon)

The first night saw me on the dance floor in front of a small stage at the intimate space that is the Fern & Kiwi watching the sultry vocal powerhouse that is Sarah Cheng-DeWinne. The last time I saw her ‘live’ was when she was singing backing vocals for Corrinne May, but tonight was going to be different, the stage was all hers, and she certainly owned it well. She sang 6 original songs, including “Diagonal Rain”, “Parallel Lives”, “Just Me”, the Mandarin version of “Make Me Love You Less”, “Past Midnight” and “Love-Shape Void”, and she certainly connected well with her audience, as she shared with them the stories behind her songs.


Deon
(Pic by Glenn Yong)

Taking over the stage from Sarah was Deon Toh and his band, simply known as Deon. Fresh off touring in Canada, and playing in one of the largest music festivals in North America, the Canadian Music Week, Deon was more than ready to take on Music Matters Live. Playing 6 original songs, including “Time’s The Only Constant” (a song that will be in their new album), “Comes & Goes” (a mid-tempo slow rock song that sounds almost Sting-like), “Desolate” (a new song still unreleased), “Wolves”, “Little Lives” and “Where It’s Safe” (another new and unreleased song that is now my new favourite by them), their ‘live’ performance experience really shone through, as they were playing like seasoned professionals.

The Summer State
(Pic by Dawn Chua)

Making my way over to China One next, I managed to catch The Summer State playing there. Sounding very pop/punk-rock and radio-friendly with a sound that reminds me of Simple Plan, Green Day, Faber Drive and Avril Lavigne, they played originals like “Trying Was My Only Regret”, “Hope From The Gallows”, “Love, That’s What They Call It These Days” (this song will be their next single to be released), “I Do, I Don’t” (a ballad that is the first single off their self-titled EP) and “Revenge, Revenge, Revenge” (they presented a revamped version of this unreleased, unrecorded song that they play live sometimes). The Summer State put on a decent ‘live’ show that night, but I think more still needs to be done before they’re ready to take on SXSW, or Canadian Music Week, or other similar large-scale music festivals overseas. That being said, I can see that they have the potential to go further and take it to the next level in their music careers.

Electrico
(Pic by Dawn Chua)

Finishing off my first night at Clarke Quay, I certainly decided to save one of the most well-loved Singapore bands for last – Electrico! The band was performing ‘live’ for the first time in 3 years at the Fountain Stage. From the looks of the crowd that gathered to hear them play, it was clear to see that they’ve been sorely missed. It was good to see Dave, Desmond & William onstage again, and I’m sure the rest of the crowd there would agree with me that these boys still know how to rock it! It’s a pity that their set was shortened, ‘cos I would have loved to hear more from them that night. They opened with a familiar number off the “We Satellites” album called “Travel On The Sun”, and got the crowd boppin’ along from the get-go, then delivered a set of mostly new songs. All I will say is, Electrico is BACK! Watch out for all of their new stuff… it’s pretty infectious! Even though they haven’t played ‘live’ in 3 years, they definitely haven’t lost their touch, and their sound remains distinctly Electrico.

Natalie Hiong
(Pic by Lionel Boon)

My second night in Clarke Quay started oh-so-sweetly at China One, listening to Natalie Hiong sing 6 original songs, including “Time Of Our Lives”, “Little Heart” (a pop number with hints of jazz), “A Different Melody”, “Go Fly A Kite” (a song that sound to me like it has some country-pop influences), “Unravelling” and “Beautiful Mess”. Only the aptly titled “A Different Melody” is a new song that was not from her “Beautiful Mess” EP. If I closed my eyes, I could just imagine her singing alongside the likes of Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen, and it is little wonder that Tiffany Alvord and Maria Digby got Natalie to open for them when they were playing concerts in Singapore. Her generally bright and happy music tends to be upbeat and uplifting, and her songs may sound a little “young” to some, but hey, bubble-gum pop is still pop! And it can reel you in unexpectedly.

Kevin Lester
(Pic by Lionel Boon)

Heading over to Paulaner, I got to watch Kevin Lester in action, onstage, and comin’ to ya loud and proud… why yes, it’s the Lion City Boy! He started off his set like a champion with “Blue Ribbon” and got the crowd all bouncing along with him, then went on to give us songs off his latest EP, like the title track “Everything You Love, You Hate” and “Danger” (which he performed ‘live’ with Sezairi Sezali in da house). He left the crowd wanting more by wrappin’ it up with “P. Y. C. O” (that stands for “Put Your City On”, a track that’s a nod to our national football team all dressed up in red and white) and “Hear Me Go”. On the whole, a high energy show put up by Kevin and his crew.

The Sam Willows
(Pic by Lionel Boon)

Rounding up my Music Matters Live Singapore experience this year were The Sam Willows. I thought it fitting that I finished my first night at Clarke Quay with one of the most well-loved bands in recent Singapore music history (Electrico), and that I finished my second night at Clarke Quay with one of the best bands playing in Singapore these days (The Sam Willows).

Within the space of a year, The Sam Willows have accomplished a great deal! Launching their debut EP in late 2012, they’ve since played SXSW and the Canadian Music Week, and were handpicked by 5-time Grammy Award-winning producer Steve Lillywhite to work with him on the production of their song, “Glasshouse”. Fern & Kiwi wasn’t big enough to hold all the people who had come to see them play ‘live’, and we were all packed like sardines in a can. But despite the rather uncomfortable situation, The Sam Willows didn’t disappoint with their set, including familiar songs like “Crimson” and “Coming Train”, and new songs like “Riverdance”, as well as covering Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Good Time”. They finished with the Steve Lillywhite version of “Glasshouse”, inviting the audience to come be a part of the music video they’ll be shooting for this song.

Our Singapore talents at Music Matters Live 2013 ranged from singer-songwriters like Sarah Cheng-De Winne and Natalie Hiong, to hip-hop artists like Kevin Lester, to indie-folk bands like The Sam Willows and Deon, to more radio-friendly pop-rock bands like Electrico and The Summer State. If variety is the spice of life, then not only are our talents very much alive, but it looks like the Singapore music scene is very well-spiced indeed, and ready to give the world a myriad of musical tastes that is Singapore.